Integrating digital pedagogies into a typical student learning lifecycle and its effect on exam performance

Preclass reading quizzes (RQs) have been shown to enhance student performance. Many instructors implementing evidence-based teaching assign preclass RQs to ensure their students are prepared to engage in class activities. Textbook companies now offer a gamified, adaptive-learning RQ format. In these RQs, students answer point-valued questions until they reach a threshold. If students answer incorrectly, the question decreases in point value on the next attempt. These RQs also give students who answer questions incorrectly more questions on that topic and direct students to sections of a textbook they need to review. We assessed the impact of gamified, adaptive preclass RQs compared with more traditional preclass RQs on in-class RQs and course exam performance as well as students’ perceptions of RQs. Students in the gamified, adaptive treatment performed equally compared with students in the traditional, static treatment on in-class RQs and course exams. While students in the gamified, adaptive treatment did have a more positive perception of preclass RQs, this factor explained less than 3% of the variation in RQ perception. Our findings suggest that instructors should verify that gamified, adaptive technologies impact student learning in their course before integrating them into their course and asking students to pay for them.

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Online and Clicker Quizzing on Jargon Terms Enhances Definition-Focused but Not Conceptually Focused Biology Exam Performance

CBE—Life Sciences Education ◽

10.1187/cbe.18-12-0248 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 18 (4) ◽

pp. ar54 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Steven C. Pan ◽

James Cooke ◽

Jeri L. Little ◽

Mark A. McDaniel ◽

Erin R. Foster ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Student Learning ◽

Student Performance ◽

Undergraduate Students ◽

Conceptual Knowledge ◽

Conceptual Learning ◽

Exam Performance ◽

Online Experiment ◽

Science Technology ◽

And Mathematics

Mastery of jargon terms is an important part of student learning in biology and other science, technology, engineering, and mathematics domains. In two experiments, we investigated whether prelecture quizzes enhance memory for jargon terms, and whether that enhanced familiarity can facilitate learning of related concepts that are encountered during subsequent lectures and readings. Undergraduate students enrolled in neuroanatomy and physiology courses completed 10-minute low-stakes quizzes with feedback on jargon terms either online (experiment 1) or using in-class clickers (experiment 2). Quizzes occurred before conventional course instruction in which the terms were used. On exams occurring up to 12 weeks later, we observed improved student performance on questions that targeted memory of previously quizzed jargon terms and their definitions relative to questions on terms that were not quizzed. This pattern occurred whether those questions were identical (experiment 1) or different (experiment 2) from those used during quizzing. Benefits of jargon quizzing did not consistently generalize, however, to exam questions that assessed conceptual knowledge but not necessarily jargon knowledge. Overall, this research demonstrates that a brief and easily implemented jargon-quizzing intervention, deliverable via Internet or in-class platforms, can yield substantial improvements in students’ course-relevant scientific lexica, but does not necessarily impact conceptual learning.

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Web-Based Tutorials for Teaching Introductory Statistics

Journal of Educational Computing Research ◽

10.2190/0d1j-1ce1-5uxy-3v34 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 33 (3) ◽

pp. 309-325 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Nancy Gourash Bliwise

Keyword(s):

Experimental Design ◽

Student Learning ◽

Learning Outcomes ◽

Exam Performance ◽

Introductory Statistics ◽

Class Analysis ◽

Web Based ◽

Class A ◽

Extra Credit ◽

Quasi Experimental

Interactive Web-based tutorials were developed as a supplement to lectures in an introductory statistics class. A quasi-experimental design compared learning outcomes of students who attended one of two classes that offered the tutorials to students as an extra-credit course option to those who attended a lecture-only class. Analysis of critical items on five course exams revealed that students who attended the classes with tutorials scored higher on four out of five topics covered by the tutorials than students who attended the lecture-only class. Tutorial use leading to mastery of the concepts was associated with exam performance on the critical items. These findings suggest that Web-based tutorials can be an effective supplement to class lectures for enhancing student learning.

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The retention benefits of cumulative versus non-cumulative midterms in introductory biology may depend on students’ reasoning skills

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0250143 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (4) ◽

pp. e0250143

Author(s):

Elizabeth G. Bailey ◽

Rebeka F. Greenall ◽

Madeleine M. Tullis ◽

Kurt R. Williams

Keyword(s):

Student Learning ◽

Exam Performance ◽

Introductory Biology ◽

Final Exam ◽

Mathematics Courses ◽

Term Retention ◽

Long Term Retention ◽

Reasoning Skills ◽

And Mathematics

Assessment has long played an important role as a measurement tool of student mastery over course content. However, testing has also been shown to be an effective learning tool. Cumulative testing, in which all material from the entire learning period is covered, has been assumed to be effective, yet few studies have explicitly tested its effectiveness compared to non-cumulative testing. Studies in psychology and mathematics courses suggest that cumulative final exams increase long-term retention of information, and cumulative testing during the semester can increase cumulative final exam performance and long-term retention. Because frequent testing has also been shown to increase student learning, the purpose of this quasi-experimental study is to investigate the effects of cumulative versus non-cumulative midterms on student learning in a course that uses frequent assessment. In this study, one section of an introductory biology course for non-majors was given seven cumulative midterms, with about half of the questions drawn from previous units and the rest covering the current unit. The other section was given seven non-cumulative midterms that focused on current material while other course characteristics were held constant. Student performance on a common, cumulative final exam and a retention exam five months later were compared. Midterm format had no effect on final exam performance, contradicting the few studies done in psychology and mathematics courses. Thus, there may be no additional benefit of cumulative testing if exams are given frequently. Cumulative midterms appeared to increase retention after five months, but only for students who entered the course with low reasoning skills. Interestingly, students with high reasoning skills appeared to retain more from the course if they were given non-cumulative midterms. Possible explanations and ideas for future research are discussed.

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The Impact of Vodcast Utilisation upon Student Learning of Physiology by First Year Graduate to Entry Medicine Students

Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning ◽

10.14434/josotl.v17i2.21125 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 17 (2) ◽

pp. 1-23 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Mark George Rae ◽

Marian McCarthy

Keyword(s):

Student Learning ◽

Video On Demand ◽

Exam Performance ◽

First Year ◽

Qualitative Information ◽

Graduate Entry ◽

On Demand ◽

Lecture Material ◽

The Impact ◽

Medical Student Learning

Abstract: The current study sought to determine the effectiveness of video-on-demand podcasts (vodcasts) as a tool for facilitating the understanding of Physiology by first year undergraduate Graduate Entry to Medicine (GEM) students. 73 first year undergraduate GEM students were provided with full length vodcasts of lecture material in advance of each of 9 Physiology lectures. Exam performance, using identical sample questions, was assessed against performance of the 2012-2013 GEM I class, which did not have access to the vodcasts. Qualitative information of students’ perceptions of the vodcasts was also gathered and analysed. Analysis revealed that the study group of 2013-2014 GEM I students achieved significantly higher grades in various examination formats in comparison to the control 2012-2013 GEM I cohort. Qualitative analysis of responses to the attitudinal survey revealed that the majority of students liked the vodcasts and that previewing them before lectures did indeed facilitate understanding of the lecture material. However, only 15% of the class were able to view all 9 of the prepared vodcasts prior to lectures. Notably, the majority of students indicated that they also considered the vodcasts to be valuable revision tools. This study is the first to show that the use of vodcasts can provide clear, quantifiable benefits for medical student learning over and above lecture notes and/or lecture slides alone. Our analysis suggests that this improvement was due both to their use as a preview tool as well as facility for later revision of lecture content.

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Distributed Concept Reviews Improve Exam Performance

Teaching of Psychology ◽

10.1177/0098628316677646 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 44 (1) ◽

pp. 46-50 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Rachael N. Blasiman

Keyword(s):

Student Learning ◽

Correct Response ◽

Learning Strategy ◽

Introductory Psychology ◽

Exam Performance ◽

Introductory Courses ◽

Learning Technique ◽

Improving Student Learning ◽

Psychology Course ◽

Concept Review

Distributed practice is a learning strategy in which studying is distributed, or spaced, across multiple study sessions. Another learning technique, interleaved practice, mixes material from multiple lectures. I designed this study to test the effect of distributed concept reviews of interleaved material on exam scores in an introductory psychology course. Students who received the concept review outperformed students who did not receive the review—a result driven by exam questions related to concepts presented in the review itself. In fact, the number of times a concept was presented in the review was directly related to the likelihood of a correct response on the exam. These results indicate that distributed, interleaved concept reviews are an effective method of improving student learning in broad introductory courses.

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Pan, Cooke, Little, McDaniel, Foster, Connor, & Rickard (2019) Online and clicker quizzing on jargon terms enhances definition-focused but not conceptually-focused biology exam performance (preprint)

10.31234/osf.io/4gcmy ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Steven C. Pan ◽

James Cooke ◽

Jeri Little ◽

Mark McDaniel ◽

Erin R. Foster ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Student Learning ◽

Student Performance ◽

Undergraduate Students ◽

Conceptual Knowledge ◽

Conceptual Learning ◽

Exam Performance ◽

Online Experiment

Mastery of jargon terms is an important part of student learning in biology and other STEM domains. In two experiments we investigated whether pre-lecture quizzes enhance memory for jargon terms, and whether that enhanced familiarity can facilitate learning of related concepts that are encountered during subsequent lectures and readings. Undergraduate students enrolled in neuroanatomy and physiology courses completed 10-minute low-stakes quizzes with feedback on jargon terms either online (Experiment 1) or using in-class clickers (Experiment 2). Quizzes occurred prior to conventional course instruction in which the terms were used. On exams occurring up to 12 weeks later, we observed improved student performance on questions that targeted recall of previously quizzed jargon terms and their definitions, relative to questions on terms that were not quizzed. This pattern occurred whether those questions were identical (Experiment 1) or different (Experiment 2) from that used during quizzing. Benefits of jargon quizzing did not consistently generalize, however, to exam questions that assessed conceptual knowledge but not necessarily jargon knowledge. Overall, this research demonstrates that a brief and easily implemented jargon quizzing intervention, deliverable via internet or in-class platforms, can yield substantial improvements in students’ course-relevant scientific lexica, but does not necessarily impact conceptual learning.

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Can formative quizzes predict or improve summative exam performance?*

Journal of Chiropractic Education ◽

10.7899/jce-14-12 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 29 (1) ◽

pp. 16-21 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Niu Zhang ◽

Charles N.R. Henderson

Keyword(s):

Physical Examination ◽

Student Learning ◽

Formative Assessments ◽

Exam Performance ◽

Control Group ◽

Chiropractic College ◽

Class 1 ◽

Enhance Student Learning ◽

Academic Degrees

Objective Despite wide use, the value of formative exams remains unclear. We evaluated the possible benefits of formative assessments in a physical examination course at our chiropractic college. Methods Three hypotheses were examined: (1) Receiving formative quizzes (FQs) will increase summative exam (SX) scores, (2) writing FQ questions will further increase SE scores, and (3) FQs can predict SX scores. Hypotheses were tested across three separate iterations of the class. Results The SX scores for the control group (Class 3) were significantly less than those of Classes 1 and 2, but writing quiz questions and taking FQs (Class 1) did not produce significantly higher SX scores than only taking FQs (Class 2). The FQ scores were significant predictors of SX scores, accounting for 52% of the SX score. Sex, age, academic degrees, and ethnicity were not significant copredictors. Conclusion Our results support the assertion that FQs can improve written SX performance, but students producing quiz questions didn't further increase SX scores. We concluded that nonthreatening FQs may be used to enhance student learning and suggest that they also may serve to identify students who, without additional remediation, will perform poorly on subsequent summative written exams.

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Collaborative Learning in the Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Classroom

Perspectives on Issues in Higher Education ◽

10.1044/ihe11.1.9 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 9-11 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Carolyn S. Potts ◽

Sarah M. Ginsberg

Keyword(s):

Collaborative Learning ◽

Student Retention ◽

Student Learning ◽

Student Learning Outcomes ◽

Retention Rates ◽

Speech Language Pathology ◽

Traditional Lecture ◽

Language Pathology ◽

Improve Student Learning

Abstract In recent years, colleges and universities across the country have been called upon to increase the quality of education provided and to improve student retention rates. In response to this challenge, many faculty are exploring alternatives to the traditional “lecture-centered” approach of higher education in an attempt to increase student learning and satisfaction. Collaborative learning is one method of teaching, which has been demonstrated to improve student learning outcomes.

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